Boss issues new order  —  Says Yanks will go 'all the way,' downplays health concerns  —  George Steinbrenner has stayed relatively quiet this season, but with October looming the once bombastic Boss is back.  —  "We're going to win (the World Series)," Steinbrenner told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview.

Marlins' Girardi not coming back, source says  —  Joe Girardi, who guided the surprising Marlins into playoff contention despite baseball's lowest payroll, will soon be out as manager after just one season.  —  On a scale of 1 to 10, Girardi's chances of returning next year are "zero," …

A Change Has Done Him Good  —  "I can see now the benefits of change," Thomas said of his move to Oakland.  "It's like a shot of adrenaline.  It made me hungry to be the player I want to be."  —  The television in the Oakland Athletics' clubhouse was tuned to a mini-drama that Frank Thomas had seen many times before.

Cy Burgh  —  Probably the only thing more up in the air than the National League playoff race is the run for the National League Cy Young Award.  There have been some very good efforts in the senior circuit this year, but unlike Johan Santana's magic in the AL there hasn't been one hurler who makes you stand up and whistle.

Orioles protesters walk out on team  —  BALTIMORE — Nearly a thousand disgruntled Orioles fans walked out of Baltimore's game against Detroit en masse on Thursday, culminating a demonstration aimed at team owner Peter Angelos.  —  A majority of the protesters wore black T-shirts that read …

Scranton A Yankees Town  —  In the Subway Series for a new Triple A city, it's "Yankees win."  —  The Yankees said Thursday they are moving their Triple A operations to Scranton, Pa., where they signed a two-year agreement to play at Lackawanna County Stadium, after 28 years in Columbus, Ohio.

Consider This the Beginning of What Will Be a Grind to Finish  —  Now that was a miracle.  —  The Dodgers finally beat the mighty Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, maintaining both their tenuous playoff spot and their slipping sanity.  —  OK, so their starting pitcher barely lasted half the game.

Cry no tears for Martinez  —  Looks sharp in Met loss to Marlins  —  There wasn't a wet eye in the house this time.  —  Driven to tears in Pittsburgh after his disappointing return to the mound last week following a one-month absence to mend a right-calf tear, Pedro Martinez breezed through four …

A broken record? … The "natural" home run king.  That's what some would call Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard should he pass Roger Maris' pre-1998 record for home runs in a single season.  —  The title implies that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were fueled …

From Arizona, to Columbus, to the Bronx  —  The first inning Brian Bruney pitched for the Yankees, he struck out the side.  The next night, in a game in which 25 runs scored, he allowed no runs in the heat of a pennant race at Fenway Park.  —  The third day, Bruney was on a plane to Ohio …

Freel out for season with broken thumb  —  Milton also done, will undergo season-ending surgery  —  CINCINNATI — Another Reds player is done for the remainder of the season.  —  Tests performed on Thursday revealed that outfielder Ryan Freel suffered a hairline fracture of his left thumb.